Ben and his father-in-law, Larry, were at the Purdue vs. Illinois basketball game on December 31st and they announced that you could enter a halftime contest to win a $5,000 diamond from Stall and Kessler's at a future game. If you were chosen, you had 20 seconds to make a layup, free throw, and three pointer with you getting your own rebounds. Being that Ben is someone of our group that enjoys the limelight while Amie and I tend to avoid it, he takes those kinds of "risks" and entered the contest. He found out that next week that he had been chosen. Ben was no stranger to basketball but it had been a while since picking up the ball. He was able to use a school's gym and get in some practice over the next few days. Ben's a good shooter, a good athlete, but we all knew that the "kicker" in all of this was what if he missed? Would he be able to get the rebounds in time? 20 seconds isn't much time, especially if you have to go chase down your own balls. It's one thing to be able to shoot around and hit those shots but quite another to do it under pressure, in front of thousands. But only time would tell. Ben and Amie bought tickets for the Purdue vs Wisconsin game on January 12th. He practiced, but not too much. He was ready for it. As Ben usually is, he was calm, cool, and collected. As halftime came up, they decided that Amie would not go down to be with him as he shot but would stay in the stands. This turned out to be a neat experience for her to see everything from as the crowd saw it, especially as they realized that the guy who had been sitting next to them was suddenly on the court. (Hey! Wasn't he just here in front of us?) As he got ready, Ben tried getting the crowd into it but the energy was lacking a bit. Who knows if they were really paying attention or they'd seen all these contests before and more often than not, people don't hit all three. Either way, he only got a few cheers. The announcer asked if he was ready, he gave him the thumb's up, and the 20 seconds were on. First shot was the layup. Perfect. Some clapping and cheering. Second shot was the free throw. Nothing but net. Now people were paying attention. He just might do it! In 7 seconds, Ben had gone 2/2 and only needed the three point shot to win and he had 13 seconds left. The crowd was cheering and yelling. He calmly sets up, takes a breath, and........SWISH! A little "Tiger" fist pump, hands pointed to the sky, and a point to the ring finger for Amie's benefit and the crowd was going crazy for him. Then he knelt down and did the "Tebow". Now Mackey Arena was rockin'!! Maybe they underestimated him based on outward appearances and then he surprised them, maybe because the prize was so big, maybe because he did it with so little effort, or maybe because, in this day in age, people needed something, anything to cheer about. In reality, it's not that big of a deal. But, maybe....it is. Maybe it really is a big deal. What did Ben do? He went 3/3 in less than 20 seconds and won Amie a new diamond. He ignited the crowd with his "Tebow". And he gave them a distraction, something to be happy about, to talk about, to cheer about in a day when all we hear on the news are bickering politicians, war and death, ungrateful folks doing protests, bad economy, sickness, and crime. It's a bright story in the midst of so much negativity. People all around Amie were asking, "Hey, wasn't that the same guy who was just sitting here?" I was responding to people on facebook in "real time" who's statuses were asking, "Hey camp folks. Was that just Ben Gleason on ESPN?" to which I responded, "Yes, yes it was our very own Ben", and from there, it spread so fast. You can now say, he's gone viral.
Amie and I have both been amazed at the amount of attention yet it still brings a smile to our face every time we watch the video. Why? It's fun to see Ben handle the publicity. It's fun to have folks talking about it. It makes people we don't even know excited. Within the Camp T Facebook network, the news spread like wildfire. There were several people he knew that happened to be at the game. Videos we posted were re-posted by people in California and New York, Amie and Ben's home states respectively, and states in-between. And it makes us wonder why we don't celebrate more. Does it have to be a huge accomplishment in order for us to get excited and tell others? When you ask someone how they are doing or when someone asks you, what do you say? Do you just say things are fine and go on? (Or do you dwell on all the bad stuff going on?) What about the cute thing your child said before they left for school? The things that maybe you have accomplished personally or noticed in your own life and recollections? Maybe they aren't news makers, but they affect you and to you, they matter. Then, do you listen to others when they tell you how things are going and do you get genuinely excited for their little things in life because they matter to them? I don't think it's necessarily bragging but celebrating. Does it have to be just graduations, weddings, and babies? We're not talking about celebrating every tiny little thing but let's celebrate more. Less focus on the negative things in life. Maybe we can forget about our money and work woes and let a little joy into our lives. Celebrate. Be happy for others. Rejoice with them. Have fun. Life is short. Times are tough. Be joyful.Watch the Shots for the Diamond Now
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